The two biggest debut eras of the 21st century go head to head. Which debut era had more impact though?


DEBUT RELEASE: LET GO (16,000,000 SOLD)

Singles






DEBUT RELEASE: THE FAME (9,500,000)

Singles

gaga

Poker Face/Just Dance seem bigger hits than Complicated/Sk8er boi...

Complicated is better than anything Gaga has released, but her album as a whole holds up better than Avril's

Avril...but The Fame was good too.

I remember Sk8er boy and complicated having impact but Poker Face/Just Dance and the whole the Fame felt bigger because of social media etc.

I'd go with The Fame since I genuinely enjoy the whole album more

Strange no one has mentioned I'm With You yet. IMO the rest are debatable, but as far as songs ageing well, and holding up, 'I'm With You' slays the rest.

I like both, but Let Go for me.

EDIT: Oh, you talking about impact? Let Go by far!!

For me Avril's debut album has no filler songs whereas Gaga's... :/

Fair to be honest. Also I know the younger generation won't get this comparison at all. I remember Let Go being so impactful due to tabloids, MTV etc. Avril was everywhere. She was named the first artist to "dethrone" Britney or the Anti-Britney. She also was the first female artist to start outselling Britney at the time. At the same time, Gaga was absolutely the IT thing of the social media in 2009. Everything was about her, literally every other pop girl at the time was inferior. I couldn't go to a nightclub without Gaga being played at least 5 times - and that was the straight clubs, gay clubs, forget it! She was every 2nd song!

Also what was so spectacular about the album sales from Avril and Gaga's debuts, was the fact that these girls had no previous fanbase or hype coming into a new era. They totally sold themselves by their image, at an extremely quick pace, allowing their debuts to sell much better than their peer pop stars of them years who had a huge following and fanbase. These girls SLAYED their debut eras.

The one that won multiple Grammys

The Fame alone is at 12m based on certifications, no?

Australia 210k
Austria 140k
Belgium 60k
Brazil 120k
Canada 560k
Chile 30k
Colombia 10k
Denmark 60k
Finland 25k
France 640k
Germany 900k
Greece 15k
Hungary 12k
Ireland 135k
Italy 280k
Japan 1m
Mexico 160k
New Zealand 75k
Norway 250k Jesus
Philippines 130k
Poland 60k
Portugal 30k
Russia 80k
Spain 120k
Sweden 40k
Switzerland 120k
UK 2.89m
U.S. 4.6m

Avril.

Avril's debut is immaculate

I still listen to Let Go in full sometimes. It never gets old to me. So, I'll go with Let Go.

Both had huge debuts but I think Avril's was a little larger. Like previously mentioned, I think Gaga's debut feels bigger due to social media.

Gaga is one my faves but The Fame is a big no, Let Go includes Naked & Tomorrow so it wins by default.

Gaga >>

Naked

The Ballad that should have served Avril her 4th classic of the era.